Cranking out a vegan Thanksgiving meal seems like a breeze until you consider the main event: the turkey.Since we re not huge fans of processed faux meat, we've whipped up our own version of a vegan turducken, or what we lovingly call a Vegducken.A vegducken is a parsnip, snuggled in a sweet potato, cradled in a butternut squash, all lovingly padded by a delicious stuffing. Picture it: a delicious version of vegetable nesting dolls.Delightfully tasty on its own as a star vegan thanksgiving entree, the vegducken is made even more luscious served with our vegan gravy.
Toast pumpkin seeds on your stovetop in a cast iron until they’re fragrant (or place them in the oven at 350 for 8-10 minutes)
Preheat oven to 400°
Cut yam in half lengthwise – using a melon baller or heavy spoon, scoop out the flesh of the yam (creating a sort of yam canoe) and set filling aside for later
Microwave yam and parsnip on high for five minutes – or until they’re fork tender (if five minutes isn’t long enough, continue microwaving in one-minute increments until tender)
Cut butternut squash in half lengthwise, remove seeds, and discard – using the same spoon, scoop out the flesh of the squash, creating a space large enough for your yam to fit inside (there should be at least a ½ inch border of flesh left on each side of the squash) and set filling aside for later
With a fork, pierce the insides of the yam and squash repeatedly and then pierce the parsnip all over
Pulse garlic and thyme in a food processor – scraping down the sides when necessary
Add oil and 1 tbsp salt to mixture and continue to pulse until thick paste forms – transfer to a small bowl
Pulse squash and yam fillings in a food processor until chopped (about 20 seconds) transfer to a large bowl
Pulse mushrooms in food processor until coarsely chopped (about 20 seconds)
Transfer mushrooms to the same bowl as the squash/yam filling and stir to combine
In a large skillet, heat sage with 1 tbsp of the garlic oil mixture over medium heat until fragrant
Add vegetable puree to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until moisture releases (about 12 minutes) then return to bowl
In a separate small bowl, mix ground flaxseed with 6 tbsp of water and allow to sit for five minutes
Add “flax eggs” (flax and water mixture), nutritional yeast, parsley, cranberries, ¼ tsp salt, ¼ tsp black pepper, and toasted pumpkin seeds to the bowl of veggie mixture and stir to combine
Place squash halves on baking sheet and, using a pastry brush, coat the inside of each half with the garlic mixture
Fill each half of the squash with the pureed veggie mixture, pressing the mixture into the sides of the squash with the back of a spoon until the interior is fully coated
Place yam halves inside of the squash halves, brush them with garlic oil, and press the veggie filling into each half until almost full
Trim parsnip to fit inside of the yam half (or just fold it over) and brush with garlic oil
Carefully join the two squash halves and tie tightly with kitchen twine so that they stay put (and none of the deliciousness falls out)
Brush entire squash with garlic oil mixture
Bake, flipping halfway through until squash is tender (about 1 hour and 20 minutes)
Let rest 15 minutes
Transfer to a cutting board and slice, carefully, into one inch thick pieces using a serrated knife
